Rider's Essence
by iiZozilla
Summary: (My first modern AU) A girl named Zariyah is a huge dragon fan, until something happens in class that would change her life forever. A mission assigned to her from an unknown entity that will lead her to make new friends, discover secrets, and unlock hidden potentials. (modern AU, no original riders in a way (read to understand soon) (and yes dragons :D)) *DISCONTINUED*
1. A New Beginning

**Heya! I know my account is on and off a lot, I have lots of work at school and at home, and I get writer's block** ** _really_** **easily. But, I'm back with a new story!**

 **This is my first shot at a httyd modern au. I usually despise them, because they often don't have actual dragons in them (XD) But, I got a really good idea for a new story! Go ahead and read the first chap, tell me what you think :3**

 _Briiiing. Briiing. Briiing. Brii-_ Zariyah smacked her alarm clock lazily after feeling around for a few seconds. She yawned, putting her other hand to her mouth, and folded her cover back. Getting out of bed, she shoved her cold slippers on, stretching her arms and then wiggling her toes in the fuzz.

 _What's today? Thursday..?_ She scooted her feet over to her calendar and squinted her eyes. _Yep, Thursday..._ She looked around her room, a little confused. Last time she remembered, the room was filled with posters of dragons, right..? There were a couple of strips of paper left that looked like the rest had been ripped. _What...happened...?_ She turned around slowly, memories flooding back to her. Her eyes stung for a split second, but then she took a deep breath and turned away. Picking up her favorite robe off of the hooks on her door, Zariyah exited her room. She shuffled her black fluffy slippers, and gently shut the door, as not to wake her mom. Stepping into the bathroom, she turned the fan on, not wanting her mom to yell at her because the mirror was fogged. Zariyah hung up her robe and took a quick 5-minute shower.

Once done, she put on her pile of school clothes that her mom always picked out for her everyday the night before. This was probably the first time she had actually wore them, rather than what she knew she usually picked out for herself. It was a school uniform, optional but usually not worn by anyone. Sighing, she put it on, hoping to blend in at school. She put her hair down and brushed it, hiding her face somewhat.

Zariyah went down the stairs, taking a quick detour from the kitchen into the living room. She grabbed a bag of crickets that was sitting on the TV stand, and padded back up the stairs, going into her room. As she closed the door, a small squeaking noise sounded from near her bed.

"Hey, Newt!" she whispered to the small terrarium as she opened the bag. Zariyah grabbed a brush that was actually for putting on blush. It was tainted with white powder instead of red, and she spotted it with some more. She brushed the crickets in the bag with it as they hopped around, then put it back. Tipping the bag slightly, 3 crickets hopped out, and Newt darted towards them. They hopped around, unsure of what was happening, then Newt darted towards them, gulping them down.

When she was done eating, Newt crawled on the top of her hide and stared at Zariyah. She made a small squeaking noise, as if asking to climb around. Zariyah sighed, grinning and took her out, letting her crawl along her neck. Newt licked her neck, as if thanking her, and started to explore. Eventually, Newt tried to crawl under her bed, and with a "No, no, no, no..!", Zariyah scooped her back and put her back into her tank. As she put the lid back on, to the protest of an angry leopard gecko, she turned around and glanced at her alarm clock.

"How is it 7:50 already? I'm going to be late for school!" She ran down the stairs, not even closing the door to her room, and ran down the stairs. She started to slip in her hurry, lost her balance and shot down the stairs on her back. Her mom saw her, a questioning look on her face.

"No time, Mom, I gotta go!" Zariyah grabbed her plate, ate a piece of toast, and took the eggs and bacon in a napkin. She zoomed out the door, waving to her Mom, and hoped on her bike.

She stopped suddenly. Stepping off, she took a look at the dragon wings and paint job that had took her months to do, and left it, closing the garage. _Guess I'll have to book it today..!_

Running down the sidewalk, she wolfed down her eggs and bacon, finally making it to her school. It was deserted, except for a few kids walking in and a few parents chatting nearby. She stumbled into the hall, pushing the door away with all her might. Zariyah started walking, just to be safe in case any teachers were watching, then came to her door. Once it was open, she saw a room full of snickering students and a teacher looking unhappy as she impatiently tapped her foot. Zariyah mentally sighed.

 _This is going to be a loooong day._


	2. Familiar Face

**Hi again! Second chapter, don't hesitate to lemme know what you think! :3 Sorry, it's a little late. :P**

The bell sounded, telling Zariyah that she could finally leave the classroom. Making it into the hall, she pulled her hood on and stared at the ground while walking. Zariyah huffed, hoping to draw as little attention as possible. She thought of Newt to draw her mind off the constant snickering and loud whispering all around her as groups parted her path. _Just ignore me, just ignore me, just ignore me..._ she chanted in her mind as she closed her eyes.

As her eyes were closed, she bumped into someone.

"Ah, well if it isn't the famous _dragon girl_! Boy, do we have a lot to learn from you!" a student sneered as kids around him snickered. She looked at the ground, trying to move around him. Students started to surround the group, attracting attention. Just as it seemed Zariyah was about to get hammered with another round of name-calling and insults, a teacher stepped in, scattering the students with a "Shoo, shoo! Nothing to see here."

Zariyah decided it was a good idea to quicken her pace as the bully growled at her. Pushing through the glass doors, she continued her way of walking out into the quad. She looked up for a split second as she felt something brush against her, and saw a glimpse of someone. He seemed new, his backpack looked as if it had been bought the day before. The second she felt it, he had felt it too, as he looked at her. Zariyah felt something click in her mind, but as the moment passed, decided to ignore it. She continued on her way, rubbing her head and shaking it in confusion.

Over the next few periods, her curiosity began to grow. Who was he? Was he new? Why was he...familiar..? She shuddered at the thought, and pushed it once again to the back of her mind.

Finally, the final bell rung. She jogged to the back entrance, taking the long way home, and walked down the sidewalk.

Once home, she went into her room. Closing her eyes, she remembered the events of two days ago.

 _All of the class knew she loved dragons. Even in every single class. She wore t-shirts with references, be they clear or hidden, to dragons every other day, and had dragon supplies. A backpack with a tail coming out, a binder with hand drawn scales, and of course, her dragon bike._

 _In science, she got assigned a new project. An animal report. Everyone chose an animal to draw and write about. The teacher said they had time to think about it after school. As the bell rang and the class hurried out, they began to chatter about their animals._

 _"I want a lion! A lion with a huge, soft, mane!" one boy yelled as he put his hands around his head in a mane motion._

 _"Well I want a cute little kitty cat! I can draw my kitten, Muffins!" a girl said in a sing song voice._

 _"What do you want, Zariyah?" a boy asked curiously._

 _"I want a...dragon!" she said honestly.  
_

 _"No, I mean seriously. What_ real _animal are you going to pick?" he asked._

 _"A dragon! I told you!"_

 _"Dragons aren't real._ Everybody _knows that." he chuckled._

 _An eighth grader loomed over the conversation. "Hey, guys, this is rich! This kid wants to do a dragon for her animal report!"_

 _His friends doubled over with pure glee. Zariyah frowned, beginning to regret her announcement._

 _"Dragon girl! Dragon girl!" they mused as she turned around, her backpack showing while she ran rubbing the tears out of her eyes. That day, she slammed the door to her room and scratched the posters off carelessly._

 _She lay in her bed, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she drifted to sleep._


End file.
